Tag Archives: Hilton

Longfellow House and Menotomy Grill

Bar, Boston, Food, History, Hotel, longfellow, longfellow house, Menotomy Grill, Restaurant, , , , , , , ,

Our last evening in Boston consisted of a meal at Menotomy  Grill, but before going there we stopped to visit the Longfellow House located at 105 Brattle Street.  The beautiful home was built in 1759 by John Vassall.  Mister Vassall was loyal to the King and chose to abandon the house when George Washington and the Continental Army marched into Cambridge.

Finding the house empty General Washington moved in and used it as his headquarters during his time in Boston.  In 1843 the house became the property of the noted American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who lived in the house until his death in 1882.

The house is worth your time and is a great example of the colonial period.  The part of the visit that I most enjoyed was the walk through the gardens behind the house.  I would love to return to the house in summer when everything is in full bloom.  As I walked through the gardens I could imagine Longfellow walking as I was with pen in hand.

Gardens at the Longfellow House
Gardens at the Longfellow House

After the tour we returned to our hotel – the Homewood Suites by Hilton in Arlington.  Beside the hotel is the Menotomy Grill and Tavern.  The Menotomy Grill also has its part in history.  It was built at the site where another tavern once stood.  The older tavern that the Menotomy Grill and Tavern replaced was Cooper’s Tavern.

After the battles of Lexington and Concord the British army returned to Boston.  The return march was not pleasant for them.  Americans were up in arms and fired upon the British every step of the way.  Their march through Arlington was the worst part.

Hearing that the British were approaching the Coopers decided to hide in their cellar.  They had only two customers in the tavern, Jabez Wyman and Jason Winship, who refused to hide with them.  When the British saw the light in the tavern they entered and killed both men then drug their bodies out into the road.

Enough of the history, let’s talk food.  The Menotomy Grill and Tavern has wonderful food and a menu which should satisfy anyone.  I had the Braised Pork Shank, which came with cheesy bacon grits, a fried egg, and cilantro.  It was a great contrast of flavors and textures. It is something really worth trying.

Also at the table we had herb roasted chicken with a potato sausage stuffing, a grilled chicken BLT which came with a chipotle aioli.  Just saying grilled chicken BLT says it all, you know it was good.  For those who like to combine the modern with the past, the Grill has a drink called the Cooper Flip in honor of the other tavern.

The Menotomy Grill and Tavern was a great end to our time in Boston and Cambridge.

Cambridge and Boston

Cheeseboy, Hotel, , , , , , , ,

New England

New England

Last Fall we had wonderful trip to Cambridge and Boston to visit our daughter and son-in-law.  We left Kentucky in the afternoon and drove until about midnight.  We spent the night in Pennsylvania.  The next morning I decided not to bypass New York.  After all how bad could it be driving through the city?  Thousands of people do it every day.

New york

I’m not sure at what point in the journey through New York that I came to realize I may have made a mistake.  We crossed the George Washington Bridge with several lanes of traffic on both sides of us and then we were in the city.  Luckily the lane I was in took me through the city and to the place I was wanting to go.

After our escape from New York, the journey became much more enjoyable and relaxing for me.  Instead of driving the shorter route toward Hartford, Connecticut, we continued east on 95 along the coast.  We stayed on 95 North to Boston where we hit 90 to Cambridge.

Our drive through southern Connecticut and then Rhode Island was beautiful.  We stopped at a service plaza near Milford, Connecticut and tried a fast food place that was new to us.  It’s called Cheeseboy and if you look at the menu you will see why.  We were looking for something different but good and we found it at Cheeseboy.  My wife had a Tomato Basil melt, which is American cheese, fresh basil, and tomato on artisan white.  I had the Cheeseboy Classic melt, which is   American and muenster on artisan white.  Both were great, and we will be watching for the Cheeseboy sign again.

Turning off the interstate into Cambridge was an interesting adventure in itself but we soon found our way to the Homewood Suites by Hilton in Arlington, Massachusetts.

The Homewood Suites by Hilton is a great place to stay.  The suite is made up of two main rooms, a bedroom and a sitting room.  The sitting room has a couch which pulls out to make a bed, a full size refrigerator, sink, microwave,  a two-burner stove top, coffee maker, dishwasher and a fireplace.

Another nice amenity is the free breakfast that Homewood Suites offers as well as a free dinner.  Free dinners are served Monday through Thursday. This can be both a great time saver as well as a dollar saver.  Homewood Suites is located near a bus stop as well as a subway station making travel around Cambridge and Boston much easier.